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Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
A Skimm Reads Pick
An NPR Best Book of 2017
From the best-selling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists comes a powerful new statement about feminism today—written as a letter to a friend.
A few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received a letter from a dear friend from childhood, asking her how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. Dear Ijeawele is Adichie's letter of response.
Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions—compelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptive—for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman. From encouraging her to choose a helicopter, and not only a doll, as a toy if she so desires; having open conversations with her about clothes, makeup, and sexuality; debunking the myth that women are somehow biologically arranged to be in the kitchen making dinner, and that men can "allow" women to have full careers, Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the twenty-first century. It will start a new and urgently needed conversation about what it really means to be a woman today.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 7, 2017 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780525494713
- File size: 29715 KB
- Duration: 01:01:54
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January LaVoy's narration of this short work is intentional, assertively warm, and grounded. Given her charge, she has to be. Adichie's childhood friend, Ijeawele, asks how to raise her newborn daughter as a feminist. This is not a light question. The author offers 15 suggestions; it's LaVoy's job to deliver them with decisive clarity. And she hits the mark. There is wisdom in her voice conveying a lived experience. Most often she repeats the phrase "teach her how" or "teach her to." Her imperative tone signals the necessity to be deliberate and loving. Adichie's content and LaVoy's tone remind listeners that Ijeawele is more than a mother--she's a woman who is navigating her daughter through a world filled with assumptions and questionable social and cultural norms. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from May 15, 2017
"Teach her that the idea of 'gender roles' is absolute nonsense." This excellent series of essays is award-winning author Adichie's (Americanah) response to a friend's question on how to raise her daughter as a feminist. Adichie shines a light on gender issues in modern society through wise advice dispensed with droll wit and deep earnestness. Writing with tender conviction about encouraging girls to pick up a helicopter instead of, or in addition to, a doll, Adichie explains that to be feminist, women do not have to give up their femininity. We may choose to be brides, but we should also be taught to be independent, that marriage isn't the only option. In other words, a mother should remain her own person, refusing to give up her identity, which is often used to justify oppression. But it's not just women learning to navigate the confusing waters of gender identity; Adichie also offers guidance for teaching men how to embrace feminism and reject rigid gender roles, too. VERDICT A fast read and vital addition to all collections. Anyone interested in social change will enjoy.--Venessa Hughes, Buffalo, NY
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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